Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories

I read R.J. Palacio's Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories a bit ago, but I decided today to finally sit down and type up a review. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on my Goodreads account, because while I was not as in love with it as Wonder, it was still very well written. I loved getting to see the points of view from characters whose P.O.V wasn't as vital to the story line in Wonder.

This story shows you the world of three people who all interacted with Auggie at one point or another. The first is Julian, the bully throughout Wonder. In the beginning, Palacio states that this isn't to excuse his behavior; Julian is a bully, that much is true, but it gives him more depth (and it also shows a potential change of character). I found that one to be the most interesting, though the other two included in the book were also entertaining and showed how Auggie affected other people's lives.

If anyone has read and loved Wonder, I definitely recommend checking this out next if only to immerse yourself into that world again. I hope Palacio writes more in the future, because she does her craft so beautifully. 

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Willowdean Dickson's mother won the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet beauty pageant once upon a time (can still fit in the dress in fact), and has happily helped run the pageant ever since. But Willow herself is--and she'll be the first to say it--fat. Fat to her is just a word, a description, nothing else. Nothing to make her feel bad about herself, and it certainly doesn't prevent her from deserving good things. Like love, right?

But then she starts working at a fast food restaurant and meets Bo, who is handsome and laid back and who happens to show interest in Willowdean. His affections, however, don't add to her confidence. It makes her feel insecure.

Plus her best friend, Ellen, who has been by her side for many years seems to be distancing herself, and her mom just doesn't seem to get who Willow is, and how she can hurt Willow (she calls her "Dumplin'" and has her watch reality TV shows about losing the pounds, not exactly subtle). Under the weight of all these troubles, Willow decides that what her confidence needs is to strut its stuff before the judges of the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet beauty pageant. 

What I Liked About It:

• Willowdean was well-written. She had a lot of good sides to her, but she also had many flaws, and part of the journey is her tackling her weaknesses, going through changes
• The supporting characters were awesome. I loved Bo, and I absolutely adored Millie, a girl heavier than Willow who signs up for the pageant when she hears Willow is going for it
• There were emotional moments, but there was a lot of humor, too, and I like a book with a balance
• Willow and Ellen are obsessed with Dolly Parton--and though I don't know much about her, it was fun reading about it, and seeing the characters so passionate made me feel a little passionate, too
• The message I took away from it. I had a confidence boost myself
• It made me want to visit Texas

What I Didn't Like:

• Willow sometimes drove me nuts, but in the same way your best friend does when they're in the wrong. You love them, but you also want to give them a shake
• Her mother! Ugh. I loved how she was written, and she's not a terrible human, but she's one of those good-intentions-but-poor-execution characters

Overall, this book was sweet, funny, and very well done. I recommend it. 

**Book contains language and reference to teenage sexual activity (mild)

Welcome to Night Vale

Once upon a time, I had never heard of a town called Night Vale, but then I noticed some posts about it with the tumblr community when I was more active on that site. I discovered Welcome to Night Vale was a podcast--though I wasn't certain at the time what that meant.

When I finally gave Welcome to Night Vale a try, I listened to the first episode probably with the silliest expression of confusion on my face. What. Was. This? First of all, I thought the voice of Cecil (played by Cecil Baldwin) was very pleasant. Soothing, really, and actually pretty attractive. But what was he saying? Something about a dog park and hooded figures in the dog park. And when he said something about the weather, a song played. 

At the end of the episode, I didn't know what to think. So I played the next one.

And then the next one.

And then the next one.

Night Vale is a desert community where you can literally expect nothing and everything. For instance, logic is not your friend in Night Vale. A twisted imagination is, however. I could try and compile a list of things you'd find in Night Vale, but the list would be very long. If you're interested in a nightmare including angels (who do not exist by law), a handsome scientist with beautiful hair, a radio host with a lulling voice, a man in a tan jacket holding a deer skin briefcase that no one can remember, librarians who will literally try to kill you, a faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home, a literal five headed dragon, and expert storytelling that weaves tales horrible, hilarious, and usually that make little sense (if you try to hold onto logic), Welcome to Night Vale is the perfect podcast for you.

When they announced that there would be a novel, I was pretty ecstatic. And today! Today, I finally finished reading it.

Welcome to Night Vale by the creators of the podcast, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, follows two women; nineteen-year-old Jackie Fierro who works in a pawnshop and has been working there for what feels like centuries, and Diane Crayton who is a single mother trying to raise her shape-shifting, fifteen-year-old son named Josh. The man in the tan jacket appears in Jackie's pawnshop one day and gives her a paper that says "KING CITY", and the events that take place afterwards completely shake up her life. But no matter what she tries, she can't get rid of the paper. (It reappears in her hand every time).

Meanwhile Diane keeps seeing her son's father everywhere she turns. Josh is moody in a very adolescent way, and he's trying to sort himself out, but he wants to meet his father, who abandoned them both when Diane was just a teenager herself, in love with a man who wouldn't stay. Complications of a parent aside, Diane finds herself also searching for the meaning behind "KING CITY". It has something to do with her family, too, and it will take both the women working together to solve the mystery.

The book includes "The Voice of Night Vale", giving us brief snippets of Cecil's show throughout the story. 

I loved it. The descriptions were awesome. I could really visualize myself in Night Vale (which is rather dangerous, when I think about it, because you're subject to die a gruesome death in that town, especially if you're a Night Vale Community Radio intern). It was so weird! So amazing...

I'm a satisfied reader with this one. And I can't wait to listen to more of the podcast. They're going to be releasing the podcast episodes in book format, too, so you can bet I'll be spending money on those beautiful puppies. 

Thank you, creators of Welcome to Night Vale. You've given me something that means a lot to me.


**Book contains mild language